“I am not really alone, because the Father is with me.” John 16:32 (GNT) Have you ever been in that place? Being mindful of Christ Jesus’s presence can be difficult when our mind takes us in the direction of our pain. Feeling alone and distant from God after his daughter came out as transgender to him, Patrick reached out to me. He felt numb and couldn’t understand how his precious little girl had grown up into an adult who desired to be a man. Instead of being mindful of God’s presence, his mind went to all the should-haves and could-haves.…

The International Journal of Transgenderism has published evidence that many patients regret their sex-reassignment surgery when they discover that the surgery failed to solve their real problems. Some subjects confessed that they had second thoughts about having the surgery. However, because they feared that they might never get another chance at the surgery, they kept those second thoughts to themselves (Kuiper, & Cohen-Kettenis 1998). My own father believed that becoming a woman would make his life more satisfying and fulfilling. He, like so many others, then discovered that fulfilling his fantasy did not give him the inner peace he’d sought…

I was waiting to board a flight when I noticed two young men that appeared to be a couple. One of the men appeared to be approximately 18 to 20 years old. He had a dark complication, black hair, and brown eyes. But perhaps most noticeable about him was the strong feminine body language he displayed. He gracefully moved his hand toward his boyfriend’s face in the exact manner that a woman would slide her hand gently over her male partner’s face. His partner was a handsome 25-year-old man. His appearance was such that a mother might pick him out…

When transgender behaviors emerge in a church, its members are often startled. Some become uncomfortable and confused. Church leaders are likely uncertain of how to respond. A basic question many ask is, “What does the Bible have to say on this matter?” The primary Bible verse that appears to address the issue of transgender behavior is Genesis 1:26–27, which says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the…

As summer approaches, love is the air. Does this sound familiar? Love should be something expressed in each day of life. Loving someone as God loves us does not change, not in reality? Many have been told in no uncertain terms, if we don’t accept the decisions of a loved one in a same sex relationship or transitioning to the opposite sex, we don’t truly love our love one. But in truth, our love does not diminish due to how he or she has decided to live their life. Yet cultural tells us otherwise, and sometimes this causes the family…

In the last few years, I’ve come to know Melissa and her family very well. I’ve witnessed firsthand the love she has for her son who lives the homosexual lifestyle. Several times, I’ve marveled at how her love for God grows steadily and how He strengthens her each day in each challenge she faces with her son, Jason. Melissa never seems to lose faith in God or her hope for the redemption of her son, who seems so far away from the God whose love pours down like rain over him. Melissa’s family is continually challenged by the situations they…

  Can you imagine Jesus asking you for a drink from the well?  It is likely that the Samaritan woman at the well was confused Jesus asked “Will you give me a drink?”  After all, she was a Samaritan woman and He is a Jew. It is a known fact that the Jews and Samaritans did not share a mutual love of one another. There are countless modern parallels to the Jewish-Samaritan enmity—at that time people were divided by racial and ethnic barriers, just as our culture is today over the issues of transgenderism and homosexuality. Sometimes reaching out to…

Dear Friends, Many of us have cherished Christmas memories and stories. But while reminiscing feels good in the moment, our family’s present circumstances can threaten to overshadow the true reason for the season. Because perhaps more than any other holiday, Christmas is loaded with emotions and expectations. Christian families with gay and transgender loved ones often feel particularly helpless this time of year when the longing for joy and peace collides with unwelcome anxiety and conflict. We may find despair in our family’s current “story.” Just when hope seems far-off  – God is with us. Immanuel. Two thousand years ago,…

Thanksgiving is a national holiday that speaks of grateful hearts for the year’s blessings, and especially for the harvest. This is a holiday that has not only cultural traditions, but also religious roots. Many homes have culture-based decorations such as corn stalks and pumpkins to symbolize the holiday. But many also precede the meal, with heart-felt prayers of gratitude for the meal and for all God’s blessings. The cooks have spent many hours preparing the meal that is about to be devoured. The fireplace is lit, the smell of turkey permeates the kitchen, and pumpkin pies sit by temptingly. Family…

By Denise Shick You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? Isaiah 29:16 (NIV) Can you imagine how shocked a potter would be if the pitcher she was shaping on her potter’s wheel suddenly shouted, “I don’t want to be a pitcher. I want to be a vase!” That’s impossible, of course. And maybe that’s one reason God used the analogy of a potter and a…